A Lapse of Memory
by Contrail
Summary: After something goes wrong on a mission, Juvia is unable to remember the most important person in her life - Gray. How will the two of them cope with the situation while trying to find a way to cure her? [Gruvia]
1. Prologue

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Prologue**

by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Juvia took a few moments to catch her breath as she carefully eyed the mage she had just defeated. The mission she had taken, to track down a mage that was responsible for a string of thefts across Fiore, had appeared to be a simple one at first. But the one responsible for the crimes, an oddly unremarkable looking woman named Lethe, had given Juvia a tougher fight than she'd expected once she'd caught up to her. Lethe's magic tampered with her memories, making Juvia forget what attack she was planning or where the other woman was located. She had had to resort to simply swamping the area around herself with a powerful wave of water traveling in all directions to finally bring Lethe down.

As Juvia approached the woman sprawled out on the now muddy ground, ready to encase her in a Water Lock so she could bring her into custody and finish the mission, Lethe's eyes slowly opened, looking up at her with bitterness. Lethe didn't make any move to continue the fight, though. She probably realized that even if she tried, she was too worn down at that point to win against Juvia. But when Juvia stretched out her hand to cast Water Lock, Lethe's mouth suddenly twisted into a mocking smirk. "You may have beaten me, but in exchange I'll take your memories of that which you hold most dear!"

Juvia felt a piercing pain in her head that sent her stumbling back a couple of steps before receding, leaving behind a vague feeling of having forgotten something, something important, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly _what_. Scowling down at Lethe, whose eyes were now glinting at her with malicious satisfaction at having achieved even this much revenge on the one who had successfully brought her down, Juvia quickly encased her in a globe of water. At least that way Lethe wouldn't be able to do anymore damage than she had already done.

She turned and started to make her way to the nearest town with her prisoner in tow, a troubled look lingering in her eyes. She wished to return to Fairy Tail as soon as possible, now. Hopefully her guild mates would be able to figure out just what Lethe had made her forget… and a way to restore her memory.

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Author's Note: Because this prologue is really short, I'll be posting the first chapter right away. So onwards…!


	2. Chapter 1

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 1**

by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

It was a quiet, peaceful evening at the Fairy Tail guild. A little _too_ quiet and peaceful for Gray's tastes, to be honest. Erza had left on a job that specifically called for one person only yesterday, and Natsu had decided to go on a different job himself, taking Happy and Lucy along with him. Lucy had asked him if he wanted to go along as well, but the job didn't pay well enough to make it worth it to put up with Natsu. He hadn't seen any missions on the board that he was interested in that he could take on solo, though, so he'd decided to wait until Juvia returned from her current job to see if she'd like to join him for one of the more interesting jobs.

It was kind of funny, how over time Juvia had become his go-to partner whenever he wasn't working by himself or with Natsu and the others, but they worked really well together. Their fight against Lyon and Chelia in the Grand Magic Games was perhaps the strongest example of that. But Mirajane hadn't been sure how long Juvia's mission was going to take, so he was stuck waiting around the guild until she got back. (And the way that Mirajane had looked at him and said "Of course," when he explained why he'd wanted to know when Juvia would be back had irked him a bit. It was like she hadn't believed he was telling the truth about why he was asking. Which he _was_.) He couldn't even pick a fight with Natsu to relieve his boredom, since he wasn't here.

Movement near the door caught his attention, breaking him out of his thoughts, and he turned to look in time to see Juvia entering the guild. His mood brightened a bit upon seeing her, since it meant that with any luck he'd soon be choosing a mission to go on with her, but it didn't take him long to spot that something was off with her. There was an unusually somber air about her, and she seemed to be preoccupied by something, enough so that she wasn't looking around for him so she could greet him like she usually did. Gray frowned. Had something gone wrong on her mission? When it became clear that Juvia was just going to walk past him on her way through the guild, he decided to call out to her. Maybe he could help her with whatever was wrong. "Oi, Juvia!"

She turned to face him, and what he saw in her expression made a queasy feeling start to grow in his stomach. Her eyes held not even a hint of the warmth with which she usually looked at him, holding only confusion. But it was what she said next that made him feel like someone had plunged their hand into his chest and squeezed his heart in their fist. "Why did you call for Juvia? Juvia doesn't know you."

Gray just sat there gaping at her, too shocked by her words to even form a response. She… she wasn't playing some sort of prank on him, was she? No, she appeared to be sincere in her puzzlement. But then why…? After waiting for a long moment for him to say anything, she continued, "Are you new to the guild? Juvia doesn't remember seeing you around here before." He still couldn't figure out what to say, many questions spinning through his thoughts but none of them staying long enough to be voiced. After a few more seconds, she turned and started walking away. "Juvia is sorry, but she needs to go talk to the Master about her last mission. She will talk to you later if you want," she called back to him over her shoulder.

He could only watch as she made her way to the Master's office and went inside. Once he could no longer see her, Gray took a deep breath and started to try to gather his thoughts into some semblance of order, ignoring the surprised murmuring of those who'd been close enough to them to witness the exchange between the two of them. Juvia seemed to have forgotten him, but might or might not have forgotten anything else. She definitely remembered Fairy Tail in general, though, from the way she was acting. She didn't have any obvious injuries, either, so that combined with the apparent specificity of her amnesia made some form of magic the most likely source of Juvia's amnesia. He wished he knew more about the mission she'd been on so he had more to go on in trying to figure out what had happened to her.

Several minutes of worrying on Gray's part later, Juvia left the Master's office and made her way over to the doors and out, presumably heading home. As she was leaving, Makarov sought out Levy and Gajeel where they were sitting together at one of the guild's tables. After a brief conversation between the three, they both got up and left, Levy heading towards the Guild's library and Gajeel leaving the Guild, presumably intending to go after Juvia. Not reassured at all by these events, Gray left his seat and intercepted Makarov before he could return to his office. "Gramps… What happened to Juvia on her last mission?" he asked.

Makarov looked up at Gray with a serious expression. "You noticed that something wasn't right with her, then."

Gray crossed his arms over his chest uneasily, turning his head so he wouldn't have to meet the old man's eyes. "She… She didn't recognize me when she came into the guild just now."

Makarov nodded thoughtfully in response, then began to explain the situation. "Juvia's mission was to capture a mage who uses memory affecting magic. She was successful, but not before the mage made her forget what she cared about most."

It didn't take Gray long to put that together with what had happened earlier and come to a conclusion. So, he was what Juvia cared about the most…? He knew she loved him, but to know without a doubt he really mattered that much to her… He couldn't quite place a label on what that made him feel, but it definitely made him feel _something_. And now he'd been completely wiped from her memories. What if… "Juvia's memory… It can be fixed, right? She won't-" Gray cut himself off, hating how anxious his voice sounded.

"Most likely it can be. This kind of magic isn't used all that often, so I don't know much about it, but I doubt that it's something completely irreversible." Makarov reached out and laid a comforting hand on Gray's arm. "I asked Levy to dig up anything she can find in our library about this, and I'll have Porlyusica examine her tomorrow to see if there's anything she can do to help Juvia. We'll do everything we can to restore her memory."

Gray was eased enough by those words to manage to a small half-smile. "Good."

After patting his arm, Makarov started to head back into his office, only to pause for a moment. "Oh. Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Please put your shirt back on."

Looking down, he could see that he really wasn't wearing his shirt. Sighing, he headed back to where he'd been sitting, keeping an eye out for his shirt. Finding it lying on the table he'd been sitting at, he quickly put it back on. Deciding that there wasn't much point to sticking around the guild further, he started heading back to his apartment. As he walked, enjoying the feel of the cool night air, he started wondering why he'd reacted so strongly to Juvia forgetting about him. It's not like she'd been seriously hurt, right?

But still, the thought of her forgetting him and all the memories they'd shared together, from their fight when they first met, through meeting her again and the events that had followed involving the Tower of Heaven, her joining Fairy Tail, missions they'd gone on together, Tenrou Island, even winning the Grand Magic Games and what had happened after… It made his heart ache. Gray had known Juvia for only a bit over a year, but in that time they had become… close. As close or closer in some ways as those he'd grown up with in Fairy Tail. So it would hurt him the same way if Erza or Natsu had forgotten him, right?

And Juvia… As much as he was annoyed by her more over-the-top gestures of affection, she'd liked him for pretty much as long as he'd known her. A Juvia that _didn't_ look at him with special affection in her eyes, well… It was just really strange to even contemplate, let alone think about trying to deal with. Finally reaching the building he lived in, he sighed to himself. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd go to bed and when he woke this would all just be some crazy dream.

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Next Chapter: We see how Juvia is dealing with having lost some of her memories.

This story will be updating on Mondays until it's finished. (These were supposed to go up yesterday, but I forgot to. Oops!) All of the chapters have been written already, so you don't have to worry about it not being finished. ;^)

Please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 2

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 2**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Once outside of the guild, Juvia started walking towards Fairy Hills at an unhurried pace, somewhat lost in thought. She wished she'd been able to tell the Master just what Lethe had made her forget with her last spell, but unfortunately that wasn't something she'd managed to puzzle out yet. Whenever she tried to pin down just what had been blocked from her memories, it slipped away from her, like trying to reach out and grasp fog with your hands. If anything, with her magic she'd have better luck with the fog! It was quite frustrating, particularly since anything connected to what she'd been made to forget felt a little hazy, which included most of her memories since joining Fairy Tail. What could she have forgotten that would have been so influential in her life?

"Oi, Puddle!"

Juvia stopped walking and turned to look back in response to a familiar voice calling out to her. With a smile, she replied, "Gajeel-kun. Why are you following Juvia?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Master wanted me to make sure you were okay."

She nodded and started back towards the dorms, Gajeel falling into step beside her with the ease of long familiarity. After they walked in companionable silence for a short while, he asked, "So how are ya holding up?"

"Juvia is frustrated about not being able to figure out what she was made to forget, and not knowing how or when she'll be able to restore her memories, but otherwise she is all right," she responded.

He nodded, a somewhat uneasy look on his face. After a moment, he started speaking, sounding a bit like he was having trouble getting the words out. "Do you remember… being in love with someone?"

She just stopped and stared at Gajeel for a moment, before shaking herself a little and putting her feet back into motion. For him to bring up such a topic of his own accord was very strange. She'd had to go through so much trouble to get him to even admit that he had more than friendly feelings for Levy-san…! And while it made sense that if she'd had such feelings for someone that they might have been what she was made to forget, it was still weird that Gajeel would have thought of it.

Still looking uncomfortable and embarrassed, but determined to hear her answer all the same, Gajeel prompted, "Well…?"

She shook her head, her lips curving up into a small, sad smile. "No, Juvia doesn't feel that way for anyone, nor has she ever that she can recall. She guesses you've just been luckier than she has in that regard, Gajeel-kun." Bora _certainly_ didn't qualify, no matter what she'd thought at the time.

He sighed, not seeming particularly surprised by her answer. "I should've figured it would turn out to be the stripper that you forgot."

Juvia frowned, her confusion evident on her face. "Stripper? What are you talking about?" Did he mean that there really was someone she…?

Gajeel sighed again, still looking uncomfortable with the subject of their conversation, then plowed onwards. "There's a guy you… like. Liked. Whatever. A member of the guild."

"Oh." But when she thought about the members of the guild, she couldn't think of anyone that she could possibly feel that way about, nor did it feel like there was anyone should be part of the guild that she wasn't remembering. Although… "Tonight… The one who called out to Juvia. Was he…?"

"Yeah, that was him," Gajeel replied with a wry expression. "His name's Gray Fullbuster."

"I see." The two of them walked in silence for a couple of minutes, letting Juvia digest the information she'd just learned. She now had some idea of just what she was forgetting, but knowing that had just given her more questions to think about. Finally she broke the silence a bit hesitantly, asking, "Do you know… why it was that Juvia liked him?" She'd noticed how handsome he was when they'd spoken at the guild earlier, but surely there had to have been more to her feelings about him than that…

"Tch. Like I ever paid that much attention to what you were saying when you went on and on about him," he scoffed at first, but then his expression took a more serious turn. "I wasn't there when it happened, so I don't know exactly how he managed to do it, but you told me that he was the one who took away the rain that followed you."

Juvia's eyes widened and one of her hands flew up to press against her chest, right above her heart. She'd been haunted by that rain for years before it went away. If he'd been able to rid her of it, even accidentally, then she wasn't surprised that she'd ended up falling for him. She tried to dredge up even a little bit of what had happened back then, but all she managed to get was a flash of blue sky, the first time she'd ever seen it. "Juvia hates not being able to remember any of this," she said, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to keep tears of frustration at bay.

Gajeel reached over and awkwardly patted her on her shoulder. "We'll find a way to fix what that bitch did to you. So there's no reason to cry about it."

She directed a grateful, if slightly watery, smile at Gajeel, appreciating his attempt to comfort her despite its awkward nature. "Thanks, Gajeel-kun."

He nodded briefly in acknowledgement and kept walking. It wasn't much longer until the pair reached the gate for Fairy Hills. "I should be fine from here. Thank you for walking and talking with me, and I'll see you at the guild tomorrow."

She started to head up the path to the dorm but halted in her tracks in response to Gajeel's voice. "Wait. Before you head up there, there's something you should know." She turned back towards him, a puzzled expression on her face. "Gray… Well, you were pretty crazy about him before. So in your room there's going to be some weird stuff that you don't remember."

"Crazy? Weird stuff?" she questioned while starting to get a sinking feeling about what Gajeel's statement implied.

"Yeah, you kinda fawned all over him. And you've got dolls of him and shit." Noticing how embarrassed Juvia was starting to look, he continued, "Sorry, I only brought it up because I thought it'd be better if you knew about it before you found it all in your room."

She just waved off his apology. "It's okay. Juvia would've found out about it sooner or later. It's not like this is the first time Juvia's done foolish things over a guy." She couldn't help the regretful tone that crept into her voice for the last sentence.

"How many times have I told you not to blame yourself for what happened with that asshole?" he scolded her gently.

"Sorry, Gajeel-kun." She looked over towards the building. "I should head inside. Thank you for the warning, and good night."

"'Night."

She gave Gajeel one last smile before heading into Fairy Hills and up to her room. Standing in front of her door, she can't help but feel a little nervous about what she was going to find inside. If Gajeel had thought it was odd enough to be worth warning about… Well, that definitely said something. Still, staring at her own door wasn't going to change anything, so she pushed those feelings aside and made her way into her room. Looking around after closing the door behind her, at first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then she glanced towards the door that lead to her shower and her jaw dropped.

Ensconced in some cabinets was a _very_ large number of dolls and other items, all bearing the likeness the mage that she could only remember having met earlier that evening. In addition to plush dolls of different sizes, there were mugs, pillows, fans, darumas, pictures of him… Feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all, Juvia made her way over to her bed and sat down. She… She'd probably made a complete fool of herself over him, hadn't she? And yet, she couldn't help but wonder what it had felt like, to love someone so much that she'd wanted to amass such a collection.

Once again, she found herself wishing that she could just _remember_, or even that she'd kept a journal. But that was something that she'd never gotten into the habit of doing, probably because it wouldn't have been safe for her to write down her thoughts where the other kids at the orphanage could find them… Still, sitting there wishing for things to be different wasn't going to get her anywhere. She'd just have to deal with the strangeness as best as she could until a way was found to restore her memory. Tomorrow, she could box up her… collection, and put it somewhere she wouldn't have to look at it. And, well, it wouldn't hurt to try to get to know Gray again, would it?

Juvia got ready for bed, feeling as prepared as she could be for what tomorrow would hold. The last thought she had before she fell asleep was to wonder why Gajeel had referred to Gray as a stripper the first time he had mentioned him.

* * *

Next Chapter: Time passes, and Gray has a couple of tense conversations.

Thank you, everyone who reviewed and/or followed this story! I hope you all continue enjoying it. :^)


	4. Chapter 3

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 3**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Unfortunately for Gray, Juvia's memory loss didn't turn out to be a bad dream. Days turned into weeks, and Gray still just couldn't get used to it. While she acted the way she normally did around the others in the guild for the most part, when it came to Gray it was a different story entirely. Gone were the declarations of love, the gifts, the 'Gray-sama's. Instead, she was as shy around him as she had been when she'd first joined Fairy Tail, and called him 'Gray-san' like they weren't even friends. And while he could still feel her eyes on him when he was in the guild, instead of the adoring looks she used to give him, she now looked at him like he was a puzzle she was trying to solve.

Being around her when she was like this felt so awkward to him that he couldn't stand to be around her for more than a few minutes at a time. If things threatened to drag on longer than that, he made up some sort of excuse to leave and escaped. He felt bad about being rude to Juvia like that, but… Being around her just made Gray miss the way things had been between them more. He'd take even the most embarrassing of her antics over the tension that existed between them now. What he really missed, though, were the times when they were comfortable together, going on missions or eating or just talking.

The whole situation made Gray more irritable than usual, and it didn't take long for the rest of his team to notice this. Lucy and Erza gave him sympathetic glances when they thought he wouldn't notice, and even Natsu picked fights with him less than he usually did, allowing him to brood in peace. And they all tried to avoid bringing up Juvia in conversations. He was grateful that his friends were giving him space but otherwise leaving things alone. He really didn't feel like talking to anyone about it.

One evening, after returning from a mission, he spotted Levy and Gajeel sitting together and walked over to them, wanting to get an update from Levy. Porlyusica had examined Juvia the day after she'd returned from that ill-fated mission and she had concluded that there was nothing she could do to help Juvia, since there hadn't been any true injury involved. They'd just have to find some way to get rid of the spell that'd been cast on Juvia, and that's what Levy had been working on since then. "Hey, Levy. Any progress?" he asked, ignoring the disgruntled look Gajeel was giving him.

"Well, I finally manage to track down a detailed account of the magic that was used on Juvia," Levy answered. "The good news is that it can't erase existing memories, only block them. So they're still there, we just need to figure out a way to get past the block on them and make Juvia remember them. Once that happens, the spell that was put on her should unravel completely."

Gray was a little surprised at the wave of relief that flowed through him at Levy's words. He hadn't realized how much he was worrying in the back of his head that Juvia's memories of him might be gone forever until he didn't have to anymore. He tried not to let his reaction show too much, though. "Good work. Any ideas yet on how to get her to remember?"

Levy bit her lip, looking thoughtful. "A couple, but nothing solid enough to be worth talking about yet. I'll keep at it."

He nodded, giving her a small smile. "Thanks for working so hard on this."

Gajeel, who'd just been sitting quietly and glaring at Gray through his discussion with Levy, snorted at this. "What do you care, you icy bastard?"

Gray matched Gajeel's glare with one of his own. "I'm the one Juvia can't remember anymore. Or should I not be concerned when one of my _nakama_ can't remember anything about me?"

Levy glanced between the two of them with worried eyes. "Guys, please don't fight…"

The two of them ignored her, however, as Gajeel got to his feet, staring Gray down with his full height. "Thought you'd be happy to have her forget you, with the way you usually treat her. Or does it hurt your ego to know that she won't be hanging on your every word even if you treat her like shit as long as you give her a kind word every now and then anymore?"

The accusation hit Gray like a slap in the face. Heads turned to watch them as the rest of the guild became more aware of the tension growing between the ice-make mage and the iron dragon slayer. As often as the members got into brawls over little things, arguments this serious were much more unusual. Clenching his hands into tight fists at his sides, he narrows his eyes and shoots back, "I would _never_ treat one of my _nakama_ like that. Just because I don't accept her advances doesn't mean I don't respect and care for her as a comrade and a friend."

Gajeel just shrugged off his response. "Coulda fooled me. Wouldn't be the first time someone's taken advantage of Juvia's good nature."

He had been ready to continue to defend himself, but Gajeel's last statement threw him off. He didn't like the implications of it, either. "…What do you mean, this wouldn't be the first time?" he questioned after a pause.

A flash of something - regret? guilt? - passes over Gajeel's face before he abruptly turns his back on Gray. "Nevermind. Just- Quit playing around with Juvia's heart. Figure out what you want and tell her, instead of letting her get her hopes up." Having said what he wanted to say, Gajeel stalked off towards one of the darker corners of the guild.

Levy sighed and stood up, giving Gray a concerned look. "He didn't really mean what he said. It's just… The whole situation with Juvia has him out of sorts."

Gray shook his head and looked away. Gajeel may not may have meant everything he'd said, but that didn't change the fact that he'd said it. Or that, if he was being honest with himself, there was a grain of truth to what Gajeel had said. Not that he'd been deliberately leading her on, no, but that his actions towards her were confusing. (And a part of him did enjoy having a pretty girl lavish attention on him when she wasn't being embarrassing.) So he sighed and said, "It's okay, Levy. I won't hold it against him."

Looking relieved, she nodded and headed off after Gajeel. He didn't really feeling like sticking around the guild anymore, so he headed towards the door, passing Juvia, who had just come in, on his way out. He didn't have any particular destination in mind, so he just let his feet take him where they would while he lost himself in thought. He couldn't help wondering about what Gajeel had let slip about someone having taken advantage of Juvia in the past. Who'd done that to her? Had he hurt Juvia badly? Did he get what was coming to him for having done that to her?

Unfortunately, he had no way of finding out the answers to any of those questions. Gajeel wasn't going to tell him, not when it looked like he regretted having mentioned it at all in the first place. And while normally he could've just asked Juvia directly, with her memory loss that wasn't an option, particularly considering the way he'd been treating her lately. He honestly didn't know a lot about what Juvia's past before Fairy Tail had been like beyond the basics. He'd never bothered to ask, and Juvia had only rarely mentioned anything about her time in Phantom Lord, let alone her childhood. Maybe once things were back to normal between them (and that _would_ happen, he'd make sure of it) he'd ask her about things like that more often.

A familiar voice calling his name broke him out of his thoughts, making him realize that his wanderings had taken him into a park. He looked up to spot Lyon walking towards him. Great. Dealing with Lyon was just what he needed to put a perfect cap on his day. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Lyon just smirked at him. "Why, hello, Gray, it's nice to see you, too."

Gray just rolled his eyes. He knew he was being kind of rude, but he didn't really care. He really wasn't in the mood for this right now. "Yeah, yeah, very funny. Why _are_ you in Magnolia?"

The other ice-make mage sighed but apparently accepted that that was all he was going to get out of him. "Well, I was passing through on my way to my next job, so I thought I'd drop by Fairy Tail while I was here. Since you weren't there, though, I came looking for you."

"Well, you've seen me now, so you can be on your way."

Lyon sighs and shakes his head. "So eager to get rid of me? If I didn't know about the real reason for your bad mood, I'd be hurt."

"Real reason?" Gray asked skeptically.

His demeanor turning more serious, Lyon gave him a direct look. "I know about Juvia forgetting you."

That statement brought an immediate scowl to his face. Of course the loudmouths of the guild wouldn't think not to tell Lyon about that. And Juvia had been at the guild when he left. "You'd better not have-"

"I gave up on winning Juvia's heart, remember?" Lyon retorted, cutting him off in mid sentence, a slightly pained tinge to his voice. "And even if I hadn't, do you really think that I'd stoop so low as to take advantage of something like that?"

After a tense couple of moments, Gray sighed and looked away. "No. No, I don't," he admitted. "I've just been… a bit stressed lately."

Lyon nodded his acceptance of Gray's not quite an apology. "That's understandable. Juvia's feelings weren't the only reason I backed off, after all."

Gray gave him a puzzled look. "What…?"

"Nevermind," Lyon replied with a shake of his head.

He kept his eyes on Lyon for a bit longer, but when it became clear that the other man wasn't going to elaborate, Gray turned away and moved to lean on a nearby fence, looking out over the grass.

After a minute or so, Lyon came over to join him at the fence. "You know, given how upset you are about this, I wonder what you thought trying to push Juvia away at that party was going to accomplish."

Gray gave him an irritated glance out of the corner of his eye. "What makes you think I was trying to do that?"

Lyon returned his look with a skeptical one of his own. "I know you, Gray. And you weren't being nearly that cold to her before then."

He shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "Maybe I just got fed up with her clinging to me all the time." That statement rang hollow even to his ears, though.

An exasperated sigh came from beside him. "Are you really going to spend the rest of your life driving away anyone who might care for you as more than a friend?"

"I'm not interested in that kind of thing." Gray stubbornly kept his face turned away from Lyon, but he could feel his face growing a little warm. Topics like this always made him (embarrassed) uncomfortable.

"Fine, be that way," Lyon grumbled. "Still, even Juvia will get tired of being pushed away eventually. You'd think you'd have realized by now that death isn't the only way to lose someone."

He didn't have anything to say to that. Gray had to admit, even if only in his head, that Lyon had a point. With Juvia's memory like it was, it did feel almost as if he'd lost the Juvia he knew only to have her replaced with a stranger who just looked like her. But she'd definitely get her memory back. And while the idea of Juvia changing her treatment of him not because of memory loss but by her own choice was an unpleasant and unsettling one, she was so persistent that she'd never give up. No, that was something she just wouldn't do. (Right…?)

After they just stood there in silence for a while, Lyon straightened up. "…I need to get going if I'm going to make my train. Think about what I said, okay?" He started to move away, then stopped and turned to look back over his shoulder. "Oh, and Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Put your clothes back on."

Gray groaned to himself, then shot back, "Don't tell me that while you're shirtless, too!"

* * *

Next Chapter: How Juvia's holding up under everything.

Again, thanks for the reviews and follows! :^)


	5. Chapter 4

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 4**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

It didn't take very long for Juvia to discover why Gajeel had referred to Gray as a stripper. That incident did make her blush quite heavily, though, particularly since she couldn't quite keep herself from taking curious peeks through the fingers she covered her eyes with. Not that what he looked like without his clothes on was the only thing she wondered about him, or even wondered about the most! While she knew that it was probably only a matter of time before a cure to her memory loss was found, not knowing anything about someone who had obviously been very important to her didn't sit well with her. So she set out to get to know Gray again.

While she would have preferred to do that by talking to him, unfortunately, Gray couldn't seem to stand to be around her. Any time she tried to talk with him for any length of time, he quickly made an excuse to leave. So Juvia had to resort to asking other people about him and watching him from afar to learn about him. She soon discovered that while he seemed a bit cold and uncaring at first glance, he cared deeply about the other members of Fairy Tail. Gray was rather prideful as well, but that pride was justified by his genuine skill at using Ice-Make magic. Overall, she could well understand why she'd fallen so deeply in love with him before, even if she no longer felt that way without the memories of how she'd come to love him.

But he persisted in giving her the cold shoulder, and it was clear that she was the only member of the guild he treated in such a fashion. She couldn't help wondering why that was. Juvia had seen the evidence of the overwhelming affection she'd had for Gray before losing her memory, and she suspected that that was the reason for his keeping his distance from her. Had she acted like such a fool around him that he wanted nothing to do with her, even though she no longer had any intention of acting like that, and just wanted to get to know him again?

That was the line of thought she was dwelling on one morning when she nearly ran into Erza in Fairy Hills' lobby. "Oh! Sorry, Erza-san," she apologized, feeling a little embarrassed that she'd been too caught up in her own thoughts to notice her earlier.

Erza gave her a reassuring smile. "It's all right. How are you doing? You've seemed a bit down lately."

"Ah, it's just… Juvia's memories. And Gray-san," she answered, her expression a bit downcast.

"Would you like to go get some breakfast? You could talk about it while we eat," Erza offered, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Juvia would like that, if you have the time to spare," she said with a small smile. Since Juvia joined Fairy Tail, Erza had gone out of her way to make sure that she felt welcome there and was included in activities with the other girls. She really appreciated the older girl's efforts, and Juvia felt comfortable confiding things in her that she wouldn't tell most others.

Before too long, they were seated in a nearby cafe with their breakfasts in front of them. Erza was having waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, while Juvia had chosen blueberry pancakes. After eating quietly for a few minutes, Juvia broke the silence. "Juvia thought that it would become easier to deal with having lost some of her memories with time, but it hasn't really. Having an idea of what it is she's forgotten just gives her more questions to wonder about. Knowing that she forgot everything about someone who was important to her, and having to try to put that knowledge back together piece by piece until she gets her memory back… It weighs on her thoughts."

Erza gave her an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it's been tough, but Levy's working hard on finding a solution for you. She'll figure out something soon."

"Juvia is tired of waiting," she muttered with a sigh, dragging a bite of pancake through the syrup on her plate. "The worst part is Gray-san. He is always so cold to Juvia whenever she tries to talk to him. Juvia has seen that he only treats her that way. He isn't so cold towards any other member of the guild, even those he doesn't talk to much. Juvia…" She bit her lower lip, hesitating for a long moment before confessing the core of what was really bothering her about the situation. "Juvia thinks he must not like her at all. She knows she used to act crazy around him, she was able to piece that much together. Her behavior must have been so excessive and embarrassing that Gray-san wants nothing to do with her, even now when all she wants to do is be friends and get to know him again…" Her words trailed off sadly.

"Oh, Juvia… That isn't how things were at all." Erza reached out and laid her hand atop the younger girl's in a comforting gesture, pausing a moment to get her thoughts in order. "You and Gray… The two of you were close. While he did get embarrassed by how enthusiastic you were in your affection for him sometimes, he usually enjoyed your company. There are others in the guild that he's known for longer or spends more time around, but he responds to you in ways he doesn't with anyone else. You're special to him."

Juvia just sat there looking at Erza, her eyes wide with surprise and a faint blush on her cheeks. When she finally spoke, her confusion was clear in her voice. "But, if that's the case… Then why does Gray-san always avoid talking to Juvia?"

Erza shook her head a little, smiling sadly. "It's because you were close that Gray avoids you. He doesn't say anything about it, but I can tell it hurts him that you don't remember him. Think about how you would feel if someone you were close to no longer recognized you or treated you like they usually did."

"Oh." She felt bad that she'd thought Gray'd been distant because he didn't like her, when really it was the opposite. She'd been so focused on how the memory loss was affecting her that she hadn't thought about how he might be feeling about the situation. "Juvia had no idea. What should she do now?"

"I think you should let him keep his distance for now. In time, either you'll get your memories back or he'll manage to accept that this is how things are for now and stop avoiding you."

Juvia nodded thoughtfully. Erza's advice made sense - she wouldn't be able to get what she'd wanted out of talking to Gray with how things were now, so trying to do so would just hurt him more. She wished there was a better option, but… "I'll do that. Thank you for the advice, Erza-san."

"You're welcome," Erza replied with a small smile. As they continued their breakfast, Juvia noticed that she felt better now than she had before the two girls had talked. She guessed she'd needed to get her problems off her chest. And when they made their way to the guild later, she'd start putting Erza's advice into action.

* * *

Next Chapter: A way has been found for Juvia to get her memories back! But will Gray be willing to go through what's necessary to use it?

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and/or followed this story! :^)


	6. Chapter 5

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 5**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Upon returning to the guild after his team's next mission was completed, Gray was quickly greeted by an excited-looking Levy. "Gray! I think I've worked out a solution to Juvia's memory problems."

That certainly got his attention immediately. Giving her a surprised but somewhat hopeful look, he asked, "Really?"

Levy nodded, her expression quickly settling into a more serious one. "I'm going to need your help for it, though, and I'm not sure you'll like what I'd be asking of you…"

He doubted that there was much he wouldn't be willing to do to aid Juvia in getting her memories back. Still, he frowned a little as he asked, "What plan have you come up with? What would I need to do?"

"As I told you before, all we really need to do is get Juvia's memories to surface from under the block that was placed on them. Once that happens, the magic blocking them should dissolve on its own. And it occurred to me that if we figured out a way to share someone else's memories of what she's missing with her, they'd bring out her version of them."

Gray thought it sounded like a sound theory. "Okay. I take it you've figured out a way to manage that?"

"Yes. Juvia's report about Tenrou Island mentioned that the girl she fought, Meredy, used a magic that linked people's senses. As their battle progressed, it started transmitting emotions and memories between the two of them as well. We know that one of these links can be established between you and Juvia since it was done successfully before."

He vaguely remembered that occurrence - he'd felt sensations and had physical reactions that the other people in the link experienced, which had been very strange at the time since he hadn't fully understood what was going on. He hadn't experienced any sort of memory or emotional transfer like Levy had described, but that could be because Juvia and Meredy had been in closer physical proximity to each other. Uneasily, he asked, "So, you want to have Meredy set up a link between Juvia and me and have me transfer my memories of her across it?"

"That's right. Whatever emotions you were feeling in those memories will probably transfer alongside them, though." Levy bit her lip, looking uncertain about how he'd react now that the plan had been fully detailed.

To be honest, Gray was feeling torn over what Levy was asking him to do. On the one hand, he really wanted to help Juvia regain her memories. The sooner she could return to normal, the better. But on the other hand, a part of him flinched from the idea of sharing not just his memories but what he'd felt during them with someone else, even Juvia… "I- Uh, can I have some time to think about it?"

"Sure," Levy replied with a nod, a look of understanding on her face. "But keep in mind that the sooner you come to a decision, the sooner I can start trying to get in touch with Meredy. Since she's a member of Crime Sorcière, contacting her and arranging for her assistance will take some time."

"I get it," he replied with a nod before turning and walking out of the guild. He needed to think things over, and the normal rowdy atmosphere in there wasn't conducive to that kind of pursuit. So he made his way to the river that runs through Magnolia and sat down on top of the steep bank, looking down into the river. It was a good spot for thinking. He'd even found Erza crying here once, back when they were kids.

Sighing he put his chin in one of his hands and propped his elbow up on his knee. Why did he have to be given this kind of choice? He wanted Juvia to get her memories back. He wanted things between him and Juvia to return to normal as soon as possible. And this idea of Levy's was the first decent shot at accomplishing those things they'd managed to come up with. He really didn't want to pass up this chance.

…But going through with it meant sharing his memories and emotions with Juvia. If it had been just his memories that would be shared, he'd have already agreed to do it. Add in what he'd been feeling during those memories, though, and he just didn't know if he could bring himself to do it. He never liked sharing his feelings and other personal things with other people, and it sounded like this would be even more… intimate than just telling someone what he was feeling. And while Juvia was one of the very few people he'd even consider honestly talking about things like that with, add in the fact that the memories, and therefore the feelings, that he would be transferring would be all about her and, well…

Erza, and even Gajeel, of all people, wanted him to make his feelings clear to Juvia, but his feelings towards her weren't even clear to himself. He definitely found her attractive with her long blue curls, big dark blue eyes, and those _legs_… And he really enjoyed spending time with her when she wasn't acting all crazy about him. She was someone important to him. He knew she loved him, and part of him wanted to give her a chance, see where things would go.

He definitely didn't like the way she would so publicly (and embarrassingly) declare her love for him at times, though. Or the strange notions she'd get into her head sometimes. And even beyond that, there was a part of him that was uncomfortable with how close he'd let her get to him, one that wanted to push her away. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but it was what had motivated his cold rejection of Juvia's declaration of love at the ball held after the Grand Magic Games. It might have something to do with how vulnerable her sincere affection for him sometimes made him feel, or how he just couldn't seem to remain unaffected by her actions.

If he couldn't even make sense of the emotions he felt about her himself, how could he explain them to her, particularly since she was prone to misunderstanding things he said? And now he was looking at the prospect of dumping his feelings about her into her head along with his memories. How would she react to the experience?

The sound of familiar steps approaching broke him out of his thoughts. Looking up and behind him, he called, "Hey, Erza."

"Gray," she acknowledged with a nod as she sat down next to him. "Levy told me about her plan to help Juvia with her memories."

"I see…" There was silence for a short time, as Erza waited for him to say something more and Gray debated whether or not to broach a certain topic with her. Finally, Gray asked slowly, "If you could've done something like this, when Jellal had lost his memory… Would you have?"

Erza, after an initial surprised blink, got a thoughtful expression on her face. Well, at least she hadn't gotten upset because he brought up Jellal, which was often a delicate subject around her. Though it seemed to be less so recently. Eventually, she responded, "I think I would have, yes. But that doesn't mean I can't understand your reluctance to go through with this. Still, I would have thought that you'd be willing to trust her with your feelings."

"It's not that I don't trust her…" he muttered, looking away from Erza with an uncomfortable expression. While he didn't think he'd ever like sharing what he felt with other people, if he had to do it Juvia was one of the few that he'd be willing to confide in. He knew that she'd never intentionally do something to hurt him.

"Then what's bothering you about the idea?"

He shifted his legs, bringing them up to his chest so he could rest his arms across his knees. "…Knowing the stuff I feel about her will just confuse her, and Juvia gets enough weird ideas about us in her head already."

Erza hemmed in response. "Would that really be worse to deal with than the current situation, though? Juvia was starting to think that you disliked her because of how you've been avoiding her."

He snapped his head around to stare at her. "She what?!"

"Don't worry, I was able to convince her that wasn't the case. Can you blame her for thinking that, though? She has no idea how you normally treat her."

Gray had to turn away from her steady gaze, hunching his shoulders and grumbling, "I guess not." He hadn't thought about how his behavior would come off to Juvia…

"She was pretty upset about it," Erza continued. "So I ask you again, would it really be worse if you went through with trying to cure her?"

He couldn't help grimacing a bit after hearing how his actions had made her feel. The way things were right now was hurting them both, but… If he shared what he felt about Juvia with her, he'd never be able to convince her that he only saw her as a friend and nakama. She'd never let him successfully push her away if she knew part of him wanted to accept her affections. Pushing her away wasn't what he really wanted to do, though, was it? Because as much as part of him wanted to do that, if the past few weeks were a taste of what that would be like, he didn't want there to be such distance between them more.

Letting out a deep sigh, Gray said, "No, it wouldn't be. I'll do it."

"Good. You know Juvia would've agreed to it, too, if your places were reversed," she remarked with a smile.

He rolled his eyes with a snort. "Juvia would agree to jump off a cliff if she thought it would help me." But there was affection mixed in with the exasperation in his voice.

* * *

Next Chapter: The attempt to restore Juvia's memory! Will it work?

Thank you once again to everyone who's reviewed and followed this story! :^)


	7. Chapter 6

**A Lapse of Memory**  
**Chapter 6**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Juvia was surprised when Levy and a fidgety Gray approached her with news of a possible cure for her blocked memory. She'd been trying to follow Erza's advice to give Gray space, so she hadn't seen much of him lately. She listened seriously as the procedure was explained to her, and gave Gray a considering look after she understood what his role was to be. Sharing memories and emotions like that sounded… kind of intimate, to be honest. Erza had told her that they were close before, but was this something he'd really be comfortable doing?

He still looked uncomfortable, but met her gaze with a steady one of his own. "I want to help you with this," he told her seriously. Looking into his eyes, she could tell how sincerely he meant what he said. It surprised her how reassuring she found that, helping her to make up her mind about going through with this possible cure.

"I'll do it." She reached forward and took Gray's hand in both of hers, giving him an appreciative smile. "Thank you for agreeing to do this. I know it can't be that easy, sharing such personal things with someone else."

He looked away, his cheeks a bit pink, but didn't pull his hand away. "You don't have to thank me," he muttered. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you when you needed it?"

She didn't think he would've agreed to this for just any friend of his, though. That thought made her her cheeks feel a little hot and left an odd warmth in her chest that she didn't remember feeling before, but somehow felt familiar all the same. Juvia squeezed Gray's hand before letting go of it and turning towards Levy to start figuring out the details of the cure attempt.

It took a little while to get in touch with Meredy and get everything worked out, but eventually a time and place for the experiment was agreed on. Gray still avoided her for the most part, but the knowledge that she would, with any luck, soon have her memories back helped her accept his behavior with good grace. The agreed on location for them to meet with Meredy was a small wooden cabin belonging to Master Makarov, located a few hours walk outside of Magnolia. Juvia and Gray left the guild early in the morning on the scheduled day, walking quietly together towards their destination, each one lost in their own thoughts.

When they reached the cabin, they discovered that Meredy was already there. "Juvia! It's good to see you again, although I wish the circumstances were a bit better," she greeted them with a warm smile.

"I'm glad to see you, too," Juvia responded. "Have you and Jellal-san been well since we saw you last?"

"We've been as well as could be hoped for, given our circumstances." She then turned her attention away from Juvia to address the other person present. "Gray, about Ultear…"

"I know," he replied shortly, cutting Meredy off before she could continue.

"I see."

A tense silence reigned over the small group until Meredy turned and opened the door to the cabin. "Why don't we get started?"

As they entered, Juvia looked around at the interior. There was only a single room, furnished in a simple but comfortable fashion. Gesturing to a pair of wooden chairs, Meredy said, "Please sit down. This may take a while, after all."

Gray took one of the seats while Juvia sat down facing him, close enough that their knees almost touched. Now that it was almost time, she could feel anxiety creeping back up on her, unsettling her stomach. Apparently her bout of nerves was apparent in her expression, because Gray reached out and took one of her hands in his. "Don't worry, we've gone through something like this before. Even if it doesn't work, it won't do anything bad to us."

She nodded and gave him a small smile. If it weren't for his efforts to reassure her, Juvia might have changed her mind about going through with this. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Meredy and said, "We're ready when you are."

"Okay. Sensory Link!" Meredy gestured and in an instant markings appeared on her right wrist, forming chain links with a heart in the center of one of them. Glancing over at Gray, she saw that a matching set of markings had appeared on him as well. At the same time, she started to feel like her left hand was holding on to someone else's hand, even though it was resting in her lap. The extra sensations were weird, but something about the experienced seemed oddly familiar, even though she couldn't remember having felt something like that before.

"It worked, I can feel what you're feeling. So, what next?" Juvia asked, a mixture of excitement and nervousness in her tone.

"We try to strengthen the connection, I guess. It's not like anyone's really tried to do this before, so…" Gray answered her, shrugging uncertainly.

"Maybe touching more would help?" she suggested shyly, offering her other hand to him.

"It's worth a shot." He grasped her hand and pulled her towards him a bit, leaning forward so their foreheads would touch. Feeling her cheeks warm a bit, but uncertain of which of them was responsible for the sensation, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on what was being transferred across the link to her from Gray.

Gradually, she started to feel emotions get passed through the link between them along with the physical sensations. There was uncertainty that echoed her own, but with it came a strong determination as well and an underlying current of care for her. Perceiving these eased her own anxiety about whether this would work or not. They'd managed to get this far, at least, so if they were able to continue to deepen the link… In response to her lessening uncertainty, she could feel his determination strengthen, and then she was looking through his eyes at a vision of their shared past.

He'd found her on the giant robot that Phantom Lord's headquarters had turned into. Juvia could feel his determination as he faced her down, and then his surprise when she turned to leave without fighting him. Her past self trapped him in her Water Lock, and she could feel the pain he'd felt when a partially healed wound reopened. As the memory of their first meeting progressed and Gray keep switching between determination to beat her and bafflement at her behavior, what was happening in the memory became increasingly familiar to her as the fog around her memory of it slowly cleared away as the spell cast upon her gradually lost its hold on it.

When Gray accidentally groped her, she was able to faintly recall her own feelings of embarrassment over what had happened alongside Gray's. And when the skies cleared above her for the first time, the last of the haziness was swept away from that memory and she felt the rush of wonder that had accompanied that sight again. Then he'd looked at her with a smile, looking just so… Oh, her hearted had melted at the sight of it.

They moved on to his next memory, of their second significant encounter. He'd been really surprised to see Juvia again. She guessed he must not have expected to see her again. But he soon calmed down, at least until Simon attacked them. She was touched by the concern he'd felt for her safety, even though he'd barely known her back then. And then he'd gotten so worried and angry when Erza was taken, he really cared about her. Because of that and everything else that was going on, he was preoccupied during most of the memory, but she could feel that he'd truly appreciated her help then nonetheless. It also seemed to her that her memory of these events came out of the fog a little more easily than for the previous one.

The memories continued on. Juvia joining the guild (and his genuine happiness that she'd done so), their first mission together and Gray scolding her for trying to do it all herself, participating in the Fantasia parade together, him seeing her around the guild as she continued to settle in as a member of Fairy Tail, going on the occasional mission together and becoming friends… It _was_ becoming easier for her to remember - with each bit of memory she recovered, the spell's hold on the rest weakened.

They moved on through the S-Class exam and all the chaos that ensued during it, waking up to discover seven years had passed, trying to readjust to their new situation, training for and participating in the Grand Magic Games, the Eclipse gate and the dragons… And that was when she felt the last vestiges of the spell cast upon her memories fade away, like fog evaporating under morning sunlight. A surge of happiness shot through her, and Gray pulled back enough to get a good look at her in response. "Juvia…?" he asked, a hint of a hopeful smile on his lips.

She nodded, tears starting to gather in her eyes. "My memories… They're all back."

Meredy grinned at the two of them from where she had been sitting on a bed watching them. "That's great! I'll end the link, then." The markings quickly faded from their wrists as she walked over to Juvia and gave her a brief hug. "I'm really glad this worked. I'll wait outside while you two recover." She was out the door of the cabin soon after that, leaving them alone.

Gray stood up from his chair and started to offer Juvia a hand up but frowned a little when he noticed she'd started to cry. "…You okay there?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes, it's just…" She tried to blink the tears away, but they wouldn't stop. Between having experienced all the emotions from Gray's memories and the feelings stirred up by her own memories returning, it was all too much for her. Leaving her chair, she wrapped her arms around a startled Gray and buried her face in one of his shoulders. At first, he stood there stiffly, not sure how to respond, but she felt him slowly relax and then his arms wrapped around her gently.

Juvia wasn't sure how long they stood together like that, but her tears had stopped and she'd calmed down a bit by the time Gray quietly said to her, "I'm glad you can remember me now." Tilting her head back so she could look at him, she couldn't help smiling a little when she saw the blush on his cheeks.

Starting to feel a bit self-conscious about how she'd impulsively hugged him, she released her hold from around his waist and moved backwards a little, prompting him to let go of her as well. She immediately missed the comforting feeling of having Gray's arms around her, but she squashed her desire to hug him again. Doing that really wouldn't fit with what she wanted to say to him, after all. Eyes downcast, she took in a deep breath before speaking. "While I couldn't remember you, what I learned about my behavior around you was rather embarrassing. And when you shared your memories with me, I could feel how much I embarrassed you sometimes. So I will try to do a better job of containing my affection for you in the future, even though it will be difficult."

"Hey." Juvia looked up at the sound of his voice, and saw him giving her a small, reassuring smile. "You're right, I do find some of the things you do embarrassing. But… it'd be weird if you just stopped trying to do things like that. The way you're so open about how you feel, that's part of you, isn't it? So, don't try too hard, and I'll try to tell you when you do something I dislike, okay?"

She nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Okay, Gray-sama." She took a moment to stretch - sitting there for so long had left her feeling a little stiff. "Juvia thinks she's recovered enough, and Meredy is waiting, so…" Turning to leave, she took a couple of steps towards the cabin door, only to halt in her tracks when she felt Gray's hand clasp her wrist. Looking back towards him, she questioned, "Gray-sama?"

Gray had a serious and somewhat uncomfortable expression on his face. He was a little flushed, and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Juvia. I… That is, you're-" His eyes widened in surprise when she reached out and pressed a finger to his lips, halting his failing attempts to put his thoughts into words and causing them both to blush a little.

Quickly retracting her hand, she said, "Gray-sama doesn't have to tell Juvia what he thinks of her. Not until he's certain about what he wants to say, anyway. The way things are now is fine until then, isn't?" Maybe if the situation had been different, she'd have been dying to hear what he had to say, to get some idea of whether he loved her or not. But she'd just _felt_ what he felt about her while he was sharing his memories with her. She'd felt how he'd come to care for her more and more over time. How confused his feelings about her were a lot of the time. It explained a lot about how he behaved, really. So she'd remain by his side, waiting with hope for the day he'd return her love with his own.

He looked startled by her response, as if he hadn't expected her to say something like that at all, then gave her a smile that looked relieved, and yet… maybe a little disappointed? "Yeah, you're right, they're fine."

Smiling, she waved a finger at him. "But don't think this means Juvia has given up on trying to make you love her."

Gray snorted at that, rolling his eyes with a smirk. "Of course not. Now, let's go." Resting a hand on her back, he guided her towards the door.

* * *

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed, or even just read this story to the end. :^) And yes, this is the end of this particular story. I do have ideas in mind for possible sequels, though, and other ideas for Gruvia stories in general, so I hope you all will look forward to them.


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